The present invention relates to a method for assisting a user to operate a pointer so as to move the pointer onto a desired object by a pointing device. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for assisting a user to operate a pointer, which is suitable for a physically handicapped person and an aged person.
A pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard are used as a main and basic input device of a PC (Personal Computer). The pointing device very naturally serves as an interface via which a user moves a pointer on a display. Thus, the pointing device is clearly superior to the keyboard. It is thus considered that the user uses the pointing device when the user uses the pointer, except for the case in which the pointing device is not connected to the PC. However, there is a problem as described below. Although an able-bodied person has no difficulty in operating the pointing device, this operation of the pointing device is more difficult than the keyboard operation for a person who is handicapped in his/her arm because of an injury or a disease and an aged person whose physical functions are generally degraded because of an advanced age.
Herein, a motion of the arm and fingers for the pointing device is compared to the motion for the keyboard. The result of comparison is as follows. For the keyboard, one keystroke typically takes place in the following manner (the following steps 1, 2 and 6 are unnecessary when Shift/Alt/Ctrl keys are not used).
Step 1: Put the fingers on the Shift/Alt/Ctrl keys (Use two keys such as the Alt/Ctrl keys in some cases).
Step 2: Press the Shift/Alt/Ctrl keys.
Step 3: Put another finger on a specific key.
Step 4: Press the specific key.
Step 5: Move the finger off the specific key.
Step 6: Move the fingers off the Shift/Alt/Ctrl keys.
It may be said that the motion of the fingers and the arm for the keystroke comprises three elements as described below:
A. Put the finger on a specific position on the keyboard,
B. Press the key with the finger, and
C. Move the finger off the key.
For example, the operation to drag and drop the mouse (a typical pointing device) is as follows.
Step 1: Hold the mouse.
Step 2: Move the mouse on a display screen so that the pointer is moved toward an object to be dragged.
Step 3: Raise the mouse and place the mouse on a place where the mouse is easily moved, when a space to move the mouse is insufficient.
Step 4: Press a mouse button when the pointer reaches the object to be dragged.
Step 5: Move the mouse so that the pointer is moved toward a destination of the object.
Step 6: While pressing the button, raise the mouse and place the mouse on the place where the mouse is easily moved, when the space to move the mouse is insufficient.
Step 7: Move the finger off the button when the pointer reaches the destination of the object.
As can be seen from the above comparison, the mouse operation does not differ much from the keyboard operation in Steps 1, 4 and 7 from a viewpoint of a motional function. However, the more complicated hand motion is required for Steps 2, 3, 4 and 6. Some pointing devices, such as the pointing device for a portable PC, are fixedly positioned differently from the mouse. These pointing devices do not need Steps 3 and 6. Also for such a pointing device, Steps 2 and 5 require the hand motion which is less necessary than the motion for the mouse but is unnecessary for the keyboard operation. This makes it difficult for the handicapped person and the aged person to use the pointing device. Moreover, in some cases, the pointer must be moved onto a small object. This also makes it difficult for the handicapped person and the aged person to use the pointing device.
On the other hand, techniques disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-48922, No. 4-238524 and No. 5-298023 are known as a meth od of facilitating the operation of pointing to the object in accordance with a movement of the pointer by operating the pointing device. In any of these techniques, which object the user wants to select is first speculated in accordance with the movement of the pointer. Then, the pointer is forced to be moved onto the object at a certain timing (Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-48922 and No. 4-238524), or processing equivalent to a selection of the object is performed (Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-298023), whereby these techniques intend to improve efficiency of the user pointer operation. However, in any of these examples, it is assumed that the position of the pointer continues to move toward an icon in order to select the object. It is possible to expect that a typical user (the able-bodied person) moves the pointer in this manner. However, it is impossible to expect that the user who is handicapped in his/her hand and arm or the like moves the pointer in this manner.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for assisting the user to operate the pointer, which solves the above problems and enables even the person who is handicapped in his/her hand and arm and the aged person to select the object by operating the pointer by means of the pointing device.
The foregoing and other objects are realized by the present invention comprising a method for assisting a user to operate a pointer so as to move the pointer onto a desired object by a pointing device. This method comprises the steps of detecting a pointer movement direction in which the user wants to move the pointer, in accordance with a movement of the pointer by the pointing device; displaying candidate objects. located within a predetermined range of the pointer movement direction; and selecting the object from the displayed candidate objects.
In the present invention, the above-described constitution enables the pointer to be moved onto a distant object without indicating which route is followed by the pointer until the pointer reaches the object. The pointing device is merely used in order to indicate the direction to the object. In other words, an operation of the pointer by the pointing device can be minimized. Thus, this method can greatly simplify and reduce the operation of the pointer by the pointing device, compared to the continuous movement of the pointer from a starting point to an end point. Therefore, even a person who is handicapped in his/her hand and arm and an aged person can select the object by operating the pointer by means of the pointing device.
In a particular preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method is used by switching between an active state in which a system for implementing the assisting method is on and an inactive state in which the system for implementing the assisting method is off. The method for assisting the user to operate the pointer of the present invention is typically used for xe2x80x9ca remote movementxe2x80x9d of the pointer. The switching takes place in order that the user can select the state, because the pointer can be often moved onto an adjacent object without use of the present method.
In another preferred embodiment of the detection of the pointer movement direction and the display of the candidate objects, the pointer movement direction is detected by use of a direction indicator comprising two large and small concentric circles around a reference point which is a position of the pointer when the system for implementing the assisting method enters the active state. In this case, the pointer is moved over a short distance from the reference point, and the following processing (a) through (c) are executed in accordance with which part of the direction indicator the pointer is located.
(a) When the pointer is located in the small concentric circle (xe2x80x9can area where a vector is not displayedxe2x80x9d):
no processing is executed except that the position of the pointer is checked.
(b) When the pointer is located between the small and large concentric circles (in xe2x80x9ca vector display areaxe2x80x9d):
the direction of a straight line connecting the reference point and the pointer is used as the pointer movement direction,
xe2x80x9ca movement direction vectorxe2x80x9d indicating the pointer movement direction is displayed,
xe2x80x9ca preceding pointerxe2x80x9d is set on one of the candidate objects located within a predetermined range with respect to the movement direction vector, and
xe2x80x9can object display indexxe2x80x9d having any one of numbers 1 to 9 is set on the candidate objects other than the object on which the preceding pointer is set.
(c) When the pointer is located outside the large concentric circle:
the system for implementing the assisting method is inactivated.
In this manner, the pointer movement direction is detected and the candidate objects are displayed. In the above-described constitution, the pointing device is moved over a short distance, whereby the pointer movement direction can be detected and furthermore the candidate objects can be displayed.
In still another preferred embodiment, the preceding pointer is set on the object of the candidate objects which is closest to the movement direction vector. Moreover, the object display indexes having the numbers 1 to 9 are set on the candidate objects other than the object on which the preceding pointer is set, from the closest candidate object to the movement direction vector to the farthest candidate object from the movement direction vector. By this constitution, the preceding pointer and the object display indexes can be set in order of priority of the object which the user wants to select. Furthermore, the following operation is executed in order to display 10 candidate objects or more. First, the preceding pointer and the object display indexes are set on the 10 candidate objects so that the 10 candidate objects are displayed. Then, when the object to be selected is not included in the displayed candidate objects, a predetermined key is pressed, whereby the preceding pointer and the object display indexes are set on 10 next candidate objects so that the 10 next candidate objects are displayed. From then on, the above operation is repeated until all the candidate objects are displayed, whereby a predetermined object is selected. This can facilitate the display operation.
In a further preferred embodiment of the selection of the object, the object on which the preceding pointer is set is selected by clicking the pointing device. Furthermore, the object on which the object display index is set is selected by keying the number of the object display index. By this constitution, even the person who is handicapped in his/her hand and arm and the aged person can easily select the object.